777 West Harrisburg Pike
Middletown, PA, 17057
Biography
Dr. Arda Tuncdemir earned her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with an emphasis in Early Childhood Education from Penn State University. Her research interests include play, creative drama, social-emotional learning, anti-bias education, culturally responsive pedagogy, ethics in early childhood, and teacher education, which she shares through presentations, book chapters, and journal articles.
She was awarded the PPPIF at NAEYC's Walter F. Drew Emerging Play Scholar Award in 2018, and she served as the 2022-2023 President of The Association for the Study of Play. She was recently awarded the Child's Right to Play Award by the International Play Association in 2025.
Research Interests
- Play
- Creative Drama
- Social-Emotional Learning
- Anti-Bias Education
- Culturally Responsive Pedagogy
- Ethics in Early Childhood
- Teacher Education.
Publications
Arda Tuncdemir, T. (2025). Integrating Social-Emotional Learning Through Play: Perspectives from Early Childhood Educators. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 39. DOI:10.1080/02568543.2025.2567504
Arda Tuncdemir, T. (2025). The power of creative drama: Integrating playful learning approaches in teacher education. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 23. https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2025.2457745
Arda Tuncdemir, T., & Napoli, M. (2024). Exploring the impact of preservice teachers’ knowledge and attitudes toward social and emotional learning (SEL) through children’s literature. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-024-01758-x
Kharod, D., Guirguis, R., Longley, J., Arda Tuncdemir, T., Sutterby, J.,Kamen, M., & Wisneski, D. (2024). Teacher educators’ perspectives, beliefs, and practices. In M. K. F. & D. H. Cortez-Castro (Ed.), Re-exploring play and playfulness in early childhood teacher education: Narratives, reflections & practices (1st ed., pp. 29–40). Routledge.
Guirguis, R., & Arda Tuncdemir, T. (2024). Developing a playful curriculum in the higher education classroom. The New York Academy of Public Education Research Journal, 13(1), 11–16. https://nyape.org/research-journals/
Arda Tuncdemir, T., & Guirguis, R. (2024). The effects of COVID-19 on socio-dramatic play. In R. P. & R. Guirguis (Ed.), The effects of COVID-19 on early childhood education: Research and implications (1st ed., pp. 79–96). Ethics Press.
Arda Tuncdemir, T. B., Burroughs, M. B., & Moore, G. (2022). Effects of philosophical ethics in early childhood on preschool children’s social–emotional competence and theory of mind. International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy, 16(5), 1–19. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1186/s40723-022-00098-w
Johnson, J. E., Sevimli-Celik, S., Al-Mansour, M., Arda Tuncdemir, T., & Dong, P. I. (2019). Play in early childhood education. In O. N. Saracho (Ed.), Handbook of research on the education of young children (4th ed., pp.165–175). Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/edit/10.4324/9780429442827/handbook
Burroughs, M. B., Valbusa, F., Arda Tuncdemir, T., & Mortari, L. (2018). Melarete and PEECh: Two educational approaches to developing ethical and emotional competencies. RicercAzione, 10(2), 117–134. https://doi.org/DOI:10.32076/RA10208
Greenberg, M. T., Domitrovich, C. E., Ocak Karabay, S., Arda Tuncdemir, T., & Gest, S. (2018). Focusing on teacher-children relationship perception and children’s social-emotional behaviors - the PATHS Preschool program. International Journal of Educational Research Review, 3(1), 8–20. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.24331/ijere.372270
Ocak Karabay, S., & Arda Tuncdemir, T. (2018). The assessment of Preschool Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies program in terms of teachers’ views. Marmara Üniversitesi Atatürk Eğitim Fakültesi Eğitim Bilimleri Dergisi, 47(47), 51–67. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15285/maruaebd.2728
Burroughs, M. B., & Arda Tuncdemir, T. (2017). Philosophical ethics in early childhood: A pilot study. Journal of Philosophy in Schools, 4(1), 74–101. DOI: 10.21913/jps.v4i1.1420
Bilir Seyhan, G., Ocak Karabay, S., Arda Tuncdemir, T., Greenberg, M. T., & Domitrovich, C. E. (2017). The effects of Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies Preschool program on teacher–children relationships and children's social competence in Turkey. International Journal of Psychology, 54(1), 61–69. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12426
Ocak Karabay, S., & Arda Tuncdemir, T. (2014). The comparison of preventive intervention programs in early childhood period. Hacettepe University Journal of Education, 29(4), 171–188.
Arda Tuncdemir, T., & Ocak Karabay, S. (2012). Social competence and Alternative Thinking Strategies Preschool curriculum. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 12(4), 13–20.
Ocak Karabay, S., & Arda Tuncdemir, T. (2011). Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies program in preventive intervention science. International Journal of Early Childhood Special Education (INT-JECSE), 3(2), 175–191.
Education
Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, The Pennsylvania State University
M.S. in Early Childhood Education, Ege University, Turkiye